LA VERNE, CA. – The Pomona-Pitzer Football team opened their SCIAC schedule with a 27-20 win against La Verne on Saturday afternoon at Ortmayer Stadium.
 
Season Impact: With the win, the Sagehens improved to 2-1 to start the year and 1-0 in SCIAC play.
 
Grady Russo led the passing attack for the Sagehens with 151 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Russo also had 37 yards on the ground with a score while Brennan Dragomer led the rushing for the Sagehens with 62 yards.
 
Mathias Olson and Sander Wimmer each caught a touchdown in the win with Olson leading the receivers with 76 yards and Wimmer with 52.
 
The Sagehen defense led the charge for Pomona-Pitzer after they came away with five interceptions in the game. Jake Sugawara had two picks while Kalani Pickett, Alexander Wood, and Eamon Glascott had one.  Thomas McConnell led the defense with right total tackles while David Gorman, Gus Burns, and Elliott Graziano had six. 
 
The Sagehens got going early in the first half with the first touchdown of the game after the special teams set up the offense in great field position after a blocked punted.  The offense wasted no time getting on the board with 29-yard touchdown pass from Russo to Olson to put the Sagehens up 7-0.
 
Pomona-Pitzer then added three more points with a field goal from Jack Walker to take a 10-0 lead over La Verne.
 
The Sagehens got their second touchdown drive of the game early in the second quarter after an interception by Sugawara set up the Sagehens for another touchdown pass from Russo to Sander Wimmer to make it 17-0 in the second quarter.
 
La Verne got on the board next with a score just before halftime off of a nine-yard run to make it 17-7 heading into halftime.
 
The Sagehens came out of halftime and responded quickly with a score on their opening drive after a five-play drive capped off by a run by Russo to push the lead to 14-7.
 
La Verne responded immediately with a 70-yard pass for a touchdown before the Sagehens added three more with a 24-yard field goal by Walker to make it 27-14 with 6:46 left in the third.
 
The Leopards made it a one-score game to open the fourth with a 14-play drive to make it 27-20, but the Sagehens controlled the fourth quarter and came away with a win in their first SCIAC game of the season.
 
Up Next: The Sagehens will host CMS for the Sixth Street Rivalry on Saturday, October 5^th at 7:00 p.m.